1.
NFL Network
–
Dedicated to American football, the network features game telecasts from the NFL, as well as NFL-related content including analysis programs, specials and documentaries. The network is headquartered in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City, California, as of February 2015, NFL Network is available to approximately 71,867,000 households that subscribe to a cable, satellite and telco television service in the United States. NFL Network was launched on November 4,2003, only eight months after the owners of the leagues 32 teams voted unanimously to approve its formation, the league invested $100 million to fund the networks operations. As a result, much of the highlights and recaps feature NFL Films trademark style of slow motion game action, sounds of the game. Beginning with the 2006 season, the network began to broadcast eight regular season NFL games during Thursday prime time, in addition to live games, the network has provided coverage of the NFL Draft since 2006, its coverage competes with that provided by ESPN and ESPN2. At the 2008 NFL Draft, NFL Network unveiled a logo that was updated to match the revised NFL logo introduced around the same time. Unlike the updated logo for the league, the NFL Networks logo included subtle changes such as using a shade of blue. Prior to the 2012 season, the NFL Network aired live primetime games on Thursdays beginning in mid-November. Starting with the 2012 season, the network began televising one live Thursday night game each week from Weeks 2 through 15, Collinsworth won the Sports Emmy for best game analyst for his work on the NFL Network telecasts. Dick Vermeil replaced Collinsworth for two games in 2006, Marshall Faulk and Deion Sanders replaced Collinsworth when needed in 2007, the 2007 schedule began on November 22, with a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Gumbel and Collinsworth returned as the booth announcers, bob Papa, also the radio voice of the New York Giants on local sports talk station WFAN, announced the games starting in 2008. Former Detroit Lions general manager Matt Millen was named Collinsworths replacement at the same time, former Washington Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann joined Papa and Millen in the booth for the 2010-11 season. In May 2011, NFL Network announced that Brad Nessler and Mike Mayock would serve as the announcers for that seasons game broadcasts. In the 2014 season, CBS Sports took over the production of all of the games in the package, in 2016, NBC Sports also gained a portion of the package under a similar arrangement. NFL Network televises all 65 preseason games each August, some of the games air live on the network, however a majority of these contests air on a tape-delayed basis and use the local broadcast of one of the teams involved. NFL Network had occasionally presented its own preseason broadcasts as special editions of Thursday Night Football, NFL Network held the broadcast rights to the revived Arena Football League from 2010 to 2012. The NFL stated that unlike when the NFL last showed interest in arena football, broadcasters for the games included Kurt Warner, Tom Waddle, Paul Burmeister, Fran Charles, Charles Davis and Ari Wolfe. Starting with the 2010 season, the network obtained the broadcast rights to the Arena Football League, each Friday, the NFL Network aired a Game of the Week from the AFL through the leagues playoffs and culminating with the ArenaBowl
2.
National Football League
–
The National Football League is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams, divided equally between the National Football Conference and the American Football Conference. The NFL is one of the four professional sports leagues in North America. The NFLs 17-week regular season runs from the week after Labor Day to the week after Christmas, with each team playing 16 games, the NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season. The NFL agreed to merge with the American Football League in 1966, and the first Super Bowl was held at the end of that season, the merger was completed in 1970. Today, the NFL has the highest average attendance of any sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States. S. The NFLs executive officer is the commissioner, who has authority in governing the league. The team with the most NFL championships is the Green Bay Packers with thirteen, the current NFL champions are the New England Patriots, who defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34–28 in Super Bowl LI. Another meeting held on September 17,1920 resulted in the renaming of the league to the American Professional Football Association, the league hired Jim Thorpe as its first president, and consisted of 14 teams. Only two of these teams, the Decatur Staleys and the Chicago Cardinals, remain, the first event occurred on September 26,1920 when the Rock Island Independents defeated the non-league St. Paul Ideals 48–0 at Douglas Park. On October 3,1920, the first full week of league play occurred, the following season resulted in the Chicago Staleys controversially winning the title over the Buffalo All-Americans. In 1922, the APFA changed its name to the National Football League, in 1932, the season ended with the Chicago Bears and the Portsmouth Spartans tied for first in the league standings. This method had used since the leagues creation in 1920. The league quickly determined that a game between Chicago and Portsmouth was needed to decide the leagues champion. Playing with altered rules to accommodate the playing field, the Bears won the game 9–0. Fan interest in the de facto championship game led the NFL, beginning in 1933, the 1934 season also marked the first of 12 seasons in which African Americans were absent from the league. The de facto ban was rescinded in 1946, following public pressure, the NFL was always the foremost professional football league in the United States, it nevertheless faced a large number of rival professional leagues through the 1930s and 1940s. Rival leagues included at least three separate American Football Leagues and the All-America Football Conference, on top of regional leagues of varying caliber. Three NFL teams trace their histories to these leagues, including the Los Angeles Rams
3.
NFL Top 100 Players of 2012
–
The NFL Top 100 is an annual list that features the top one hundred players in the National Football League, as chosen by fellow NFL players. The rankings are based on a poll organized by the NFL. In the six-year history of the countdown, no player has been voted #1 multiple times, also, only players that would be active in the next season would be eligible for consideration. NFL Network released ten episodes, each revealing ten players on the list during the 2011 offseason, the first episode, revealing the players ranked #100 through #91 was aired on April 30,2011. The lists top 10 players were revealed when the episode of the 2011 list was aired on July 3,2011. The NFL Top 100 list returned for the 2012 NFL season, the season ran from April 28 to June 27,2012. The list began with Tennessee Titans running back, Chris Johnson, and concluded the reveal of the one ranked player. Each episode of the season was followed up by NFL Top 100 Reaction Show, the NFL Top 100 list returned for the 2013 NFL season. The season ran from April 27 to June 27,2013, the list began with Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta. The number one ranked player of 2013 was Adrian Peterson, the 2012 MVP, the NFL Top 100 list returned for the 2014 NFL season. The season ran from May 10 to July 9,2014, the number one ranked player of 2014 was Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning. The NFL Top 100 list returned for the 2015 NFL season, the season ran from May 6 to July 8,2015. The number one ranked player of 2015 was Houston Texans defensive end J. J and it marked the first year a defensive player ranked #1. It was also the first time the #1 ranked player was not the reigning MVP of the league, the NFL Top 100 list returned for the 2016 NFL season. The season ran from on May 4 to July 6,2016, the number one ranked player of 2016 was Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Marcell Dareus and Steve Smith fell out of Top 100, but were in honorable mentions list alongside Jameis Winston
4.
Washington Redskins
–
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Redskins compete in the National Football League as a member of the National Football Conference East division. The Redskins have played more than 1,000 games since 1932, the Redskins have won five NFL Championships. The franchise has captured 14 NFL divisional titles and six NFL conference championships, the Redskins were the first team in the NFL with an official marching band, and also the first team to have a fight song, Hail to the Redskins. The team began play as the Boston Braves in 1932, based in Boston, before relocating to Washington, the Redskins won the 1937 and 1942 Championship games, as well as Super Bowls XVII, XXII, and XXVI. They also played in, and lost, the 1936,1940,1943 and they have made 24 postseason appearances, and have an overall postseason record of 23–18. All of the Redskins league titles were attained during two 10-year spans, from 1936 to 1945, the Redskins went to the NFL Championship six times, winning two of them. The second period lasted between 1982 and 1991 where the Redskins appeared in the seven times, captured four Conference titles. The Redskins have also experienced failure in their history, the most notable period of general failure was from 1946 to 1970, during which the Redskins posted only four winning seasons and did not have a single postseason appearance. During this period, the Redskins went without a winning season during the years 1956–1968. In 1961, the franchise posted their worst regular season record with a 1–12–1 showing, since 1992, the Redskins have only won the NFC East three times, made five postseason appearances, and had nine seasons with a winning record.85 billion. They also set the NFL record for attendance in 2007. The team name and logo have been the subject of controversy, with lawsuits being filed by Native American groups who consider the team name, polls conducted in the 2010s have shown a lack of major support among fans for a name change. The team originated as the Boston Braves, based in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1932, at the time the team played in Braves Field, home of the Boston Braves baseball team. The following year the club moved to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, to round out the change, Marshall hired William Lone Star Dietz, who was part Sioux, as the teams head coach. However, Boston wasnt much of a town at the time. The Redskins relocated to Washington, D. C. in 1937, in their early years in Washington, the Redskins shared Griffith Stadium with the Washington Senators baseball team. The Redskins played and won their first game in Washington, D. C. on September 16,1937, on December 5,1937, they earned their first division title in Washington against the Giants, 49–14, for the Eastern Championship
5.
Donovan McNabb
–
Donovan Jamal McNabb is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Philadelphia Eagles. Before his NFL career, he played football and basketball for Syracuse University, McNabb was the Eagles starting quarterback from 1999 to 2009. During his tenure with the Eagles, he led the Eagles to five NFC East division championships, five NFC Championship Games and he also became the Eagles all-time leader in pass attempts, pass completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns. His 3,469 career yards rushing ranks sixth all-time for NFL quarterbacks, Donovan McNabb was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Mount Carmel High School where, as a sophomore, he was a teammate of future NFL players Simeon Rice, together, they helped Mount Carmel win the 1991 State Championship over Wheaton Central High School, with McNabb scoring the final touchdown of the game. As a senior, he led the team to a Chicago Prep Bowl championship and he also excelled in track & field during his high school years and played on the school basketball team with Antoine Walker. He initially leaned toward attending Nebraska, as he relished the idea of being coached by Tom Osborne, after redshirting in 1994, his first year at Syracuse, McNabb went on to start every game during his college career, compiling a 35–14 record. McNabb amassed 2,892 yards of offense in his junior season to set a school record. His 22 touchdown passes tied the single season record, set by former Eagle Don McPherson in 1987. McNabb also rushed 135 times for 438 yards and 8 touchdowns and he ranked sixth in the nation with a 158.9 passing efficiency rating and 22nd in total offense, with 233.8 yards per game. He tied a record with 4 touchdown passes against Cincinnati. McNabb was also teammates with future NFL star Marvin Harrison for one season at Syracuse and he was a finalist for the 1998 Heisman Trophy. Later, he was named to the Syracuse All-Century Football team, McNabb was also a walk-on for two seasons for the Syracuse basketball team under head coach Jim Boeheim. He spent two years as a reserve on the nationally ranked basketball team, including the 1996 squad that lost to Kentucky in the National Championship game. McNabb was the second of five quarterbacks selected in the first 12 picks of a class that was at that point considered the best quarterback draft since the famous Class of 1983. By 2006, only McNabb was still with the team originally drafted him. McNabb saw his first NFL regular season action in the half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 19-5 home loss on September 19. He made his first career start at home against Washington on November 14 and he also had nine carries for 49 rushing yards and led the team to a pair of successful two-point conversions
6.
New England Patriots
–
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston region. The Patriots compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference East division. The Patriots are also headquartered at Gillette Stadium, an original member of the American Football League, the Patriots joined the NFL in the 1970 merger of the two leagues. The team changed its name from the original Boston Patriots after relocating to Foxborough in 1971, the Patriots played their home games at Foxboro Stadium from 1971 to 2001, then moved to Gillette Stadium at the start of the 2002 season. The Patriots rivalry with the New York Jets is considered one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL. The Patriots have appeared in the Super Bowl nine times in franchise history, the Patriots have since become one of the most successful teams in NFL history, winning 14 AFC East titles in 16 seasons since 2001, without a losing season in that period. The team owns the record for most Super Bowls reached and won by a head coach–quarterback tandem, the Patriots are tied with the 49ers and Cowboys for the second most Super Bowl wins with five. The Steelers are in front with six, however, the Patriots are the only team to win five Super Bowls with the same coach and quarterback. On November 16,1959, Boston business executive Billy Sullivan was awarded the eighth, the following winter, locals were allowed to submit ideas for the Boston football teams official name. The most popular choice – and the one that Sullivan selected – was the Boston Patriots, immediately thereafter, artist Phil Bissell of The Boston Globe developed the Pat Patriot logo. The Patriots struggled for most of their years in the AFL, nickerson Field, Harvard Stadium, Fenway Park, and Alumni Stadium all served as home fields during their time in the American Football League. They played in only one AFL championship game, following the 1963 season and they did not appear again in an AFL or NFL post-season game for another 13 years. When the NFL and AFL merged in 1970, the Patriots were placed in the American Football Conference East division, the following year, the Patriots moved to a new stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which would serve as their home for the next 30 years. As a result of the move, they announced they would change their name from the Boston Patriots to the Bay State Patriots, the name was rejected by the NFL and on March 22,1971, the team officially announced they would change its geographic name to New England. During the 1970s, the Patriots had some success, earning a berth to the playoffs in 1976—as a wild card team—and in 1978—as AFC East champions and they lost in the first round both times. In 1985, they returned to the playoffs, and made it all the way to Super Bowl XX, following their Super Bowl loss, they returned to the playoffs in 1986, but lost in the first round. The team would not make the playoffs again for eight more years, during the 1990 season, the Patriots went 1–15. They changed ownership three times in the ensuing 14 years, being purchased from the Sullivan family first by Victor Kiam in 1988, who sold the team to James Orthwein in 1992
7.
Quarterback
–
A quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the team and line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is considered the leader of the offensive team. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually the leader of the offense, the quarterback touches the ball on almost every offensive play, and his successes and failures can have a significant impact on the fortunes of his team. Accordingly, the quarterback is among the most glorified and scrutinized positions in team sports, prior to each play, the quarterback will usually tell the rest of his team which play the team will run. After the team is lined up, the center will pass the ball back to the quarterback, usually on a running play, the quarterback will then hand or pitch the ball backwards to a half back or full back. On a passing play, the quarterback is almost always the responsible for trying to throw the ball downfield to an eligible receiver downfield. Depending on the scheme by his team, the quarterbacks role can vary. While quarterbacks in Canadian football need to be able to throw the ball often, in the NFL, quarterbacks are required to wear a uniform number between 1 and 19. In the CFL, the quarterback can wear any number from 0 to 49 and 70 to 99. Because of their numbering, quarterbacks are eligible receivers in the NCAA, NFHS, after a Super Bowl victory, the starting quarterback is the first player to be presented with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The starting quarterback of the victorious Super Bowl team is chosen for the Im going to Disney World. Campaign, whether they are the Super Bowl MVP or not, examples include Joe Montana, Trent Dilfer, Dilfer was chosen even though teammate Ray Lewis was the MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, due to the bad publicity from Lewis murder trial the prior year. In addition to their role, quarterbacks are occasionally used in other roles. Most teams utilize a backup quarterback as their holder on placekicks, in the Wildcat, a formation where a halfback lines up behind the center and the quarterback lines up out wide, the quarterback can be used as a receiving target or a blocker. A more rare use for a quarterback is to punt the ball himself, Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway was known to perform quick kicks occasionally, typically when the Broncos were facing a third-and-long situation. As Roger Staubachs back-up, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Danny White was also the teams punter, ascending the starting role upon Staubachs retirement, White held his position as the teams punter for several seasons—a double duty he performed to All-American standard at Arizona State University. White also had two touchdown receptions as a Dallas Cowboy, both from the halfback option, if quarterbacks are uncomfortable with the formation the defense is using, they may call an audible change to their play
8.
2010 NFL season
–
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League. Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots, was named MVP for the 2010 season, in Super Bowl XLV, the Leagues championship game played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–25 to win their fourth Super Bowl. Spoiling the Steelers chance for a 7th title, one week later, the Seahawks dethroned the defending champion New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round, to become the first ever sub.500 playoff team to win a postseason game. In 2008, the New England Patriots and New York Jets each had to make trips to all four of the aforementioned West Coast teams. Specifically, those traveling to Oakland will now also play at Denver. For teams scheduled to play the NFC West, those traveling to San Francisco will also go to Arizona, for the 2010 season, the intraconference and interconference matchups are, The entire 2010 regular-season schedule was unveiled at 7,00 pm EDT on Tuesday, April 20. Additionally, schedule release shows aired on both the NFL Network and as a SportsCenter special on ESPN2. The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game was held on Sunday, August 8,2010 at 8,00 pm EDT on NBC, with the Dallas Cowboys defeating the Cincinnati Bengals, 16–7 at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio. The remainder of the preseason game matchups were announced March 31,2010, highlights, among others, include the New York Giants and New York Jets facing off in the first-ever game at New Meadowlands Stadium on ESPN. The preseason game in the Bills Toronto Series featured the host Bills defeating the Indianapolis Colts in Toronto on Thursday, exact dates and times for most games were announced in April, shortly after the regular season games were announced. On March 15,2010, the NFL announced that both the New York Giants and New York Jets will play at home during the weekend to open New Meadowlands Stadium. The Giants played on Sunday with a 1 pm EDT kickoff against the Carolina Panthers, the game started at 9,15 pm Kansas City time. While the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints had both started the year before 13–0, on October 10, the Kansas City Chiefs became the last team to lose, losing to the Colts 19–9. It would mark the first time that no NFL team reached 4–0 since 1970, when the Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, the 2010 season featured one International Series game, played at Wembley Stadium in London. The teams for this game were confirmed on January 15,2010, with the San Francisco 49ers playing host to the Denver Broncos on October 31,2010, the 49ers won 24–16, scoring 21 points in the 4th quarter. CBS televised this game on a basis, as the Broncos were the visiting team. On the same day that the Broncos and 49ers played in London and this game was televised opposite Game Four of the World Series on Fox, a practice the league had traditionally avoided. The Saints won this game 20–10, the Thanksgiving games took place on Thursday, November 25,2010, with the Detroit Lions falling to the visiting New England Patriots, 45–24
9.
Tom Brady
–
Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He is one of two players to win five Super Bowls, the only quarterback to win five and the only player to win them all playing for one team. After playing college football for the University of Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the round of the 2000 NFL Draft. In Bradys 15 seasons as a starter, he has quarterbacked the Patriots to seven Super Bowl appearances, as of the end of the 2016 season, Brady is fourth all-time in career passing yards, fourth in career touchdown passes, and third in career passer rating. His career postseason record is 25–9, winning more games than any other quarterback. Brady has never had a season as a starting quarterback in the NFL. His 208 combined regular-season and postseason wins are also the most of any quarterback in NFL history, because of his accomplishments and accolades, many analysts and sportswriters consider Brady to be among the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Due to his draft selection, Brady is considered to be the biggest steal in the history of the NFL Draft. Brady was born in San Mateo, California, the son and fourth child of Galynn Patricia and Thomas Brady. He has three sisters named Nancy, Julie, and Maureen. Bradys great uncle, Michael Buckley Jr. was, also, at the age of four, Brady attended the 1981 NFC Championship against the Dallas Cowboys, in which Montana threw The Catch to Dwight Clark. As a child, Brady attended football camp at the College of San Mateo where he learned to throw the football from camp counselor and he grew up as a Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics fan. Brady attended Junípero Serra High School in San Mateo, where he graduated in 1995 and he played football, basketball, and baseball in high school. He played against Bellarmine College Preparatory rival Pat Burrell in both football and baseball, Bradys football career started as the backup quarterback on the Padres JV team. At first, Brady was not good enough to start on the 0–8 JV team that had not scored a touchdown all year, however, when the starting quarterback went down with an injury, he ascended to the starting position. He became the varsity starter his junior year and held the position until he graduated, by Bradys senior year, he struggled getting on the radar of college coaches. He created highlight tapes and sent them out to schools he would consider attending and this led to strong interest from many football programs around the nation. The process of recruiting was much different during Bradys time, in terms of recruiting in the 2000s, Brady would have been considered a Four-star quarterback
10.
Tennessee Titans
–
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League as a club of the American Football Conference South division. Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team play in 1960 in Houston. The Oilers won the first two AFL Championships, and joined the NFL as part of the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, the team relocated from Houston to Tennessee in 1997, and played at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis for one season. The club moved to Nashville in 1998 and played in Vanderbilt Stadium, for those two years, the team was known as the Tennessee Oilers, but changed its name to Titans in 1999. The team plays at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, which opened in 1999 as Adelphia Coliseum, the Titans training facility is at Saint Thomas Sports Park, a 31-acre site at the MetroCenter complex in Nashville. When the team debuted as the Houston Oilers in 1960, the logo was an oil rig derrick. Except for minor changes throughout the years, this logo remained the same until the team was renamed the Titans in 1999. The logo was originally called Ol Riggy, but this was dropped before the start of the 1974 season, the Oilers uniforms consisted of blue or white jerseys, red trim, and white pants. From 1966 through 1971, the pants with both the blue and white jerseys were silver, to match the color of the helmets, for selected games in 1973 and 1974, and again from 1981 through 1984, the Oilers wore their white jerseys at home. The light blue pants were discarded by coach Jeff Fisher in 1995, from 1960 to about 1965 and from 1972 to 1974, they wore blue helmets, from 1966 to 1971, the helmets were silver, and they were white from 1975 to 1998. During the 1997–98 period, when they were known as the Tennessee Oilers, the uniforms consist of white helmets, red trim, and either navy or white jerseys. White pants are worn with the navy jerseys, and navy pants are worn with the white jerseys. On both the navy and white jerseys, the shoulders and sleeves are light Titans blue. In a game against the Washington Redskins in 2006, the Titans wore their jerseys with navy pants for the first time. Since 2000, the Titans have generally worn their dark uniforms at home throughout the preseason and they have worn white at home during daytime contests on many occasions for September home games to gain an advantage with the heat except in the 2005,2006, and 2008 seasons. The Titans introduced an alternate jersey in 2003 that is light Titans blue, with navy outside shoulders and that jersey was usually worn with the road blue pants. When it was the jersey from 2003 to 2007, the Titans wore the jersey twice in each regular season game
11.
Running back
–
A running back is an American and Canadian football position, a member of the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a play, to catch passes from out of the backfield. There are usually one or two running backs on the field for a play, depending on the offensive formation. A running back may be a halfback or a fullback, a running back will sometimes be called a feature back if he is the teams starting running back. The halfback or tailback position is responsible for carrying the ball on the majority of running plays, in the modern game, an effective halfback must have a blend of both quickness and agility as a runner, as well as sure hands and good vision up-field as a receiver. Quarterbacks depend on halfbacks as a safety valve receiver when primary targets downfield are covered or when they are under pressure, occasionally, halfbacks line up as additional wide receivers. As a trick play, running backs are used to pass the ball on a halfback option play or halfback pass. The difference between halfback and tailback is the position of the player in the offensive formation. In historical formations, the lined up approximately halfway between the line of scrimmage and the fullback. Because the halfback is usually the main ball carrier, modern offensive formations have positioned the halfback behind the fullback. As a result, some systems or playbooks will call for a tailback as opposed to a halfback, in most modern college and professional football schemes, fullbacks carry the ball infrequently, instead using their stronger physiques as primary lead blockers. On most running plays, the leads the halfback, attempting to block potential tacklers before they reach the ball carrier. When fullbacks are called upon to carry the ball, the situation calls for gaining a short amount of yardage. Fullbacks are technically running backs, but today the term running back is used in referring to the halfback or tailback. Although modern fullbacks are rarely used as carriers, in previous offensive schemes fullbacks would be the designated ball carriers. In high school football, where player sizes vary greatly, fullbacks are still used as ball carriers. In high school and college offenses, the triple option uses the fullback as a primary ball carrier. The fullback plays a role by establishing an inside running threat on every play
12.
Chris Johnson (running back)
–
Christopher Duan Johnson is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft and he played college football at East Carolina. Johnson has also played for the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, unheralded out of Orlando, Florida, Johnson emerged as a senior for East Carolina University where he broke out for 2,960 all-purpose yards and 24 touchdowns. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans 24th overall in 2008, in his second year of professional football, he won the NFL rushing title with 2,006 yards, and broke Marshall Faulks record of total yards from scrimmage with 2,509. This earned him the nickname CJ2K and he has been to three Pro Bowls and was the NFLs Offensive Player of the Year in 2009. Johnson was born in Orlando, Florida and he played football at Olympia High School in Orlando. Considered only a two-star recruit by Rivals. com, Johnson was not ranked among the top running back prospects in 2004. He selected East Carolina over Eastern Kentucky and UConn, Johnson was also a standout track star at Olympia High School. In his senior year, he finished second in the 100 metres at the 2004 Florida 4A state championships behind Walter Dix, in addition, Johnson also finished his senior season posting personal bests of 10.50 and 21.28 in the 100 metres and 200 metres respectively. In his junior year, he qualified for the finals of the Florida State meet with a time of 10.83 seconds. Walter Dix won the event with a 10.46 in the finals and he anchored the 4 ×100 meters relay team that won Golden South and Golden West National Championships. His personal bests are 10.38 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.28 seconds in the 200 meters, Johnson enrolled in East Carolina University, and was a member of the East Carolina Pirates football team. He made an impact in all 11 games, as he eventually started seven games on the season. He finished the season on the Conference USA All-Freshman squad as a running back and he recorded a reception in 10 straight games which was a team-best. He finished the season with 561 yards rushing and 765 yards on kick returns for 1,562 all-purpose yards and he finished the season by being ranked 24th nationally for all-purpose yardage, and also rushed for five touchdowns. He finished the season with eight school game or season records for a freshman and finished the year with 32 catches for 236 yards, in his collegiate debut against West Virginia, Johnson returned five kickoffs for a total of 100 yards. Against Louisville, Johnson returned seven kickoffs for 102 yards, in a victory over Tulane, he set season-highs with 31 carries for 158 yards and two scores. Against South Florida, Johnson totaled 212 all-purpose yards and scored ECUs only offensive touchdown on an 18-yard reception, in the season finale against NC State, Johnson totaled a season-high 144 kickoff return yards
13.
Green Bay Packers
–
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues National Football Conference North division. They are also the third-oldest franchise in the NFL, organized and it is the only non-profit, community-owned major league professional sports team based in the United States. Home games are played at Lambeau Field, the Packers are the last vestige of small town teams common in the NFL during the 1920s and 1930s. Founded in 1919 by Earl Curly Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, between 1919 and 1920, the Packers competed against other semi-pro clubs from around Wisconsin and the Midwest. They joined the American Professional Football Association, the forerunner of todays NFL, the Packers have won 13 league championships, the most in NFL history, with nine NFL titles before the Super Bowl era and four Super Bowl victories. They won the first two Super Bowls in 1967 and 1968 and were the only NFL team to defeat the American Football League prior to the AFL–NFL merger. The Vince Lombardi Trophy is named after the Packers head coach of the same name and their two further Super Bowl wins came in 1997 and 2011. The Packers are long-standing adversaries of the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions, the Bears–Packers rivalry is one of the oldest in NFL history, dating back to 1921. The Green Bay Packers were founded on August 11,1919 by former high-school football rivals Earl Curly Lambeau, Lambeau solicited funds for uniforms from his employer, the Indian Packing Company. He was given $500 for uniforms and equipment, on the condition that the team be named for its sponsor, the Green Bay Packers have played in their original city longer than any other team in the NFL. On August 27,1921, the Packers were granted a franchise in the new pro football league that had been formed the previous year. Financial troubles plagued the team and the franchise was forfeited within the year, before Lambeau found new financial backers and these backers, known as the Hungry Five, formed the Green Bay Football Corporation. After a near-miss in 1927, Lambeaus squad claimed the Packers first NFL title in 1929 with an undefeated 12–0–1 campaign, among the many impressive accomplishments of these years was the Packers streak of 29 consecutive home games without defeat, an NFL record which still stands. The arrival of end Don Hutson from Alabama in 1935 gave Lambeau, credited with inventing pass patterns, Hutson would lead the league in receptions eight seasons and spur the Packers to NFL championships in 1936,1939 and 1944. An iron man, Hutson played both ways, leading the league in interceptions as a safety in 1940, Hutson claimed 18 NFL records when he retired in 1945, many of which still stand. In 1951, his number 14 was the first to be retired by the Packers, after Hutsons retirement, Lambeau could not stop the Packers slide. He purchased a large lodge near Green Bay for team members, rockwood Lodge was the home of the 1946-1949 Packers, though the 1947 and 1948 seasons produced a record of 12-10-1, and 1949 was even worse at 3-9
14.
Aaron Rodgers
–
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League. Rodgers played college football for California, where he set career passing records, including lowest single-season. He was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers and he was named Associated Press Athlete of the Year in 2011, as well as being voted league MVP by the Associated Press for the 2011 and 2014 NFL seasons. Rodgers is the NFLs all-time career leader in passer rating during the season with a rating of 104.1. He also holds the leagues lowest career passing interception percentage for quarterbacks during the season at 1.5 percent. Aaron Charles Rodgers was born in Chico, California, the son of Darla Leigh, aarons father is a Texas-born chiropractor who played football as an offensive lineman for the Chico State Wildcats from 1973 to 1976. His ancestry includes English, Irish and German, the family moved to Ukiah, California, where Aaron attended Oak Manor Elementary School. Edward Rodgers tossed a football with his sons Luke, Aaron and Jordan, Aaron took this advice to heart. At the age of ten, he was featured on the front page of the Ukiah Daily Journal for his top performance at a local basketball free throw competition. The Rodgers family returned to Chico in 1997, and Aaron attended Pleasant Valley High School and he set single-game records of six touchdowns and 440 all-purpose yards. Rodgers set a school record with 2,466 total yards in 2001. He graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in spring 2002, despite his record-setting statistics, Rodgers attracted little interest from Division I programs. He garnered only an offer to compete for a scholarship as a walk-on from Illinois and he declined the invitation, and considered quitting football to study for law school. He was then recruited to play football at Butte College in Oroville, Rodgers threw 26 touchdowns in his freshman season, leading Butte to a 10–1 record, the NorCal Conference championship, and a No.2 national ranking. While there, he was discovered by the California Golden Bearss head coach Jeff Tedford, Tedford was surprised to learn that Rodgers had not been recruited earlier. Because of Rodgerss good high school record, he was eligible to transfer after one year of junior college instead of the typical two. As a junior college transfer, Rodgers had three years of eligibility at Cal and he was named the starting quarterback in the fifth game of the 2003 season, against the only team that offered him a Division I opportunity out of high school, Illinois. As a sophomore, he helped lead the Golden Bears to a 7–3 record as a starter, in his second career start, Rodgers led the team to a 21–7 halftime lead against USC before being replaced in the second half by Reggie Robertson due to injury
15.
2013 NFL season
–
The 2013 NFL season was the 94th season in the history of the National Football League. The Super Bowl was played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday and it was the first Super Bowl hosted by New Jersey and the first to be held outdoors in a cold weather environment. The Seahawks scored 12 seconds into the game and held the lead the rest of the way, Manning also was named the Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career. Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly earned Defensive Player of the Year honors, scoring reached historic levels throughout the league in 2013. As a whole the league set records for points scored, points scored per game. The Broncos set a new standard for scoring in the regular season with 606 points. In addition to the Broncos, ten teams each scored over 400 points. The regular season got underway on Thursday, September 5,2013, the regular season wrapped up on Sunday night, December 29. The playoffs began with the wild card round which took place the first weekend of January 2014, both home teams prevailed to set up just the second Super Bowl matchup of #1 seeds in the past 20 seasons. The 2013 league year began at 4 pm EST on March 12, the per-team salary cap was set at US$123,000,000. This period, which was referred to by some as the legal tampering period, a total of 524 players were eligible for some form of free agency. Eight players were assigned the franchise tag by their teams. These players were Brandon Albert, Jairus Byrd, Ryan Clady, Michael Johnson, Pat McAfee, Henry Melton, Anthony Spencer, none of these players changed teams. Smith had been the first overall selection of the 2005 NFL Draft, March 11 – Wide receiver Percy Harvin was traded by the Vikings to the Seahawks for the Seahawks 2013 first-round and seventh-round selections as well as the Seahawks third-round pick in 2014. The Seahawks subsequently signed Harvin to a 6-year, $67 million contract extension which includes $25.5 million in guaranteed money, March 11 – The 49ers acquired wide receiver Anquan Boldin from the Ravens for a sixth-round selection in the 2013 draft. Boldin, a three-time Pro Bowler and former Offensive Rookie of the Year, had refused to accept a pay cut that the Ravens had requested, April 21 – Cornerback Darrelle Revis was traded by the Jets to the Buccaneers. The Jets received the Bucs first round pick in 2013, the 13th overall selection and a conditional pick which would become the Bucs fourth-round selection in 2014. The Bucs signed Revis to a 6-year, $96 million contract, in-season September 18 – In a bit of a shocking mid-season move the Browns traded running back Trent Richardson to the Colts in exchange for the Colts first-round pick in the 2014 draft
16.
Baltimore Ravens
–
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League as a club of the American Football Conference North division. The team plays its games at M&T Bank Stadium and is headquartered in Owings Mills. The Ravens were established in 1996, when Art Modell, who was then the owner of the Cleveland Browns, in return, he was allowed to take his own personnel and team to Baltimore, where such personnel would then form an expansion team. The Ravens organization has been led by general manager Ozzie Newsome since 1996, the team is owned by Steve Bisciotti and valued at $1.5 billion, making the Ravens the 24th-most valuable sports franchise in the world. The name Ravens was inspired by Edgar Allan Poes poem The Raven, chosen in a fan contest that drew 33,288 voters, the allusion honors Poe, who spent the early part of his career in Baltimore and is buried there. As the Baltimore Sun reported at the time, fans also liked the tie-in with the birds in town, the Orioles. After the controversial relocation of the Colts to Indianapolis, several attempts were made to bring an NFL team back to Baltimore. In 1993, ahead of the 1995 league expansion, the city was considered a favorite, behind only St. Louis and this led to public outrage and the Baltimore Sun describing Taglibue as having an Anybody But Baltimore policy. Maryland governor William Donald Schaefer said afterward that Taglibue had led him on, praising Baltimore, by May 1994, Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos had gathered a new group of investors, including author Tom Clancy, to bid on teams whose owners had expressed interest in relocating. Angelos found a partner in Georgia Frontiere, who was open to moving the Los Angeles Rams to Baltimore. Jack Kent Cooke opposed the move, intending to build the Redskins new stadium in Laurel, Maryland and this led to heated arguments between Cooke and Angelos, who accused Cooke of being a carpetbagger. Following this, Angelos made an unsuccessful $200 million bid to bring the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Baltimore, enticed by Baltimores available funds for a first-class stadium, Modell announced on November 6,1995 his intention to relocate the team from Cleveland to Baltimore the following year. The resulting controversy ended when representatives of Cleveland and the NFL reached a settlement on February 8,1996, tagliabue promised the city of Cleveland that an NFL team would be located in Cleveland, either through relocation or expansion, no later than 1999. Additionally, the agreement stipulated that the Browns name, colors, uniform design, the franchise history includes Browns club records and connections with Pro Football Hall of Fame players. Modells Baltimore team, while retaining all current player contracts, would, for purposes of history, appear as an expansion team. Not all players, staff or front office would make the move to Baltimore, after relocation, Modell hired Ted Marchibroda as the head coach for his new team in Baltimore. Marchibroda was already well known because of his work as coach of the Baltimore Colts during the 1970s
17.
Tight end
–
The tight end is a position in American football, Arena football, and formerly Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics. Like offensive linemen, they are lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be effective blockers. On the other hand, they are eligible receivers adept enough to warrant a defenses attention when running pass patterns, because of the hybrid nature of the position, the tight ends role in any given offense depends on the tactical preferences and philosophy of the head coach. In some systems, the end will merely act as a sixth offensive lineman rarely going out for passes. Other systems use the tight end primarily as a receiver, frequently taking advantage of the tight ends size to create mismatches in the defensive secondary. Many coaches will often have one tight end who specializes in blocking in running situations while using a pass catching tight end in obvious passing situations. Offensive formations may have as few as zero or as many as three tight ends at one time. If a wide receiver is present in a formation, but outside the tight end, also the offensive coordinator could use the tight end for a fullback. The advent of the end position is closely tied to the decline of the one-platoon system during the 1940s and 50s. Originally, a derived from the games evolution from other forms of football limited substitutions. Consequently, players had to be adept at playing on both sides of the ball, with most offensive linemen doubling as defensive linemen or linebackers, and receivers as defensive backs. As the transition from starters going both ways to dedicated offensive and defensive squads took place, players who did not fit the mold of the traditional positions began to fill niches. Those who were both good pass catchers and blockers but mediocre on defense were no longer liabilities, instead, many were too big to be receivers yet too small for offensive linemen. Greater use of the end as a receiver started in the 60s with the emergence of stars Mike Ditka. Until then most teams relied on the tight ends blocking as almost a sixth offensive lineman, in addition to superb blocking, Ditka offered great hands receiving and rugged running after a completion. Over a 12-year career, he caught 427 passes for over 5,800 yards and 43 touchdowns, Mackey brought speed, with six of his nine touchdown catches in one season being breakaways over 50 yards. Starting in 1980 the Coryell offense debuted tight end Kellen Winslow running wide receiver-type routes, tight ends prior to Winslow were primarily blockers lined up next to an offensive lineman and given short to medium drag routes
18.
Dennis Pitta
–
Dennis Gregory Pitta, Jr. is an American football tight end for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Ravens in the round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at BYU, where he was a consensus All-American, Pitta was born in Fresno, California to parents Dennis and Linda Pitta. His father played football as a middle linebacker for California from 1968 to 1969. Pitta attended Moorpark High School in Moorpark, California, where he earned letters in football, basketball and he played football as a wide receiver and cornerback, and his large size made him difficult to cover. As a senior in 2002, Pitta recorded 64 receptions for 1,150 yards and 13 touchdowns and that season, he was named a first-team all-county, all-league, and all-area player. He was an all four years in high school and was also named a National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete. Pitta was shown interest by Dartmouth, Navy, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Utah, and Yale, Pitta chose to attend Brigham Young University, where he walked onto the BYU Cougars football team as a wide receiver. Pitta was moved to end by head coach Gary Crowton. He sat out the 2003 season on grayshirt status, in 2004, he saw significant playing time as a result of an injury to starter Daniel Coats. Pitta recorded 17 receptions for 176 yards and two touchdowns, and actually finished the season with more receptions than Coats, both of his scores came in the game against Air Force, where he also blocked a punt upon which BYU capitalized for a score. Pitta is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pitta participated in a Mormon mission in the Dominican Republic, which caused a two-year hiatus in his college football career. He returned to BYU for the 2007 season, and recorded 59 receptions for 813 yards and he finished the season as the nations fifth-leading tight end in yards per game at 63. Pitta was named to the All-Mountain West Conference first team, in 2008, he recorded 83 receptions for 1,083 yards and six touchdowns. Against Northern Iowa, he compiled 213 yards, which broke the conference receiving yards record for a tight end and earned him the John Mackey Tight End of the Week honors. Against Colorado State, he caught the game-winning 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Max Hall, and was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week, Pitta finished the season as the teams second-leading receiver. He was a Lombardi Award and Biletnikoff Award candidate, and a Mackey Award semifinalist, Pitta was named to the All-MWC first team, and again received Academic All-MWC honors. College Football News and Sports Illustrated named him an honorable mention All-American, prior to the 2009 season, The NFL Draft Scout, a CBS Sports affiliate, rated Pitta as the sixth-ranked out of 92 tight ends available for the 2010 NFL Draft
19.
Adrian Peterson
–
Adrian Lewis Peterson is an American football running back who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings seventh overall in the 2007 NFL Draft and he played college football at Oklahoma. Peterson set the NCAA freshman rushing record with 1,925 yards as a freshman during the 2004 season. As a unanimous first-team All-American, he became the first freshman to finish as the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting, Peterson finished his college football career as the Sooners third all-time leading rusher. Following his first professional season, in which he set an NFL record for most rushing yards in a single game, Peterson was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He was then awarded the MVP award for his performance in the Pro Bowl, in 2010, he became the fifth fastest player to run for 5,000 yards, doing so in his 51st game. Peterson amassed 2,314 all-purpose yards from scrimmage in 2012, for his efforts, he received the NFL MVP Award and the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award for the 2012 NFL season. Peterson also achieved the No.1 spot on the NFL Networks Top 100 Players of 2013, during the 2013 season, Peterson became the third fastest player to reach 10,000 rushing yards in NFL history. In April 2015, Peterson was reinstated to the league, Peterson was born in Palestine, Texas, to Bonita Brown and Nelson Peterson, who were also star athletes in college. His father was a guard for Idaho, but his dream of a National Basketball Association career was derailed when a gun that his brother was cleaning discharged into his leg. His mother, a three-time Texas state champion at Westwood High School, attended the University of Houston on a scholarship as a sprinter. Petersons best friend was his older brother Brian, Petersons father nicknamed him All Day, because his father said he could go all day. At age 7, Peterson saw his 9-year-old brother Brian killed by a driver as he rode his bicycle. It was around that time that Peterson began to deal with his pain through sports and he was the star of his youth football teams coached by Rick Nally. Coach Nally stated that at early age, we would watch AD play in the NFL one day. His father Nelson participated as an Assistant Coach, Peterson played in the popular East Texas, Anderson County Youth Football Program. When Peterson was 13, his father was arrested for laundering money for a cocaine ring. Peterson was a standout in football, basketball, and track at Palestine High School
20.
2014 NFL season
–
The 2014 NFL season was the 95th season in the history of the National Football League. The 2014 league year began at 4 pm EST on March 11, the per-team salary cap was set at US$133 million, a $10 million increase from the previous year. A total of 471 players were eligible for some form of free agency at the beginning of the free agency period, in addition, a number of highly paid players were released after the start of the league year to allow their teams to regain space under the salary cap. These players were defensive end Greg Hardy, tight end Jimmy Graham, placekicker Nick Folk, players given the transition tag were Jason Worilds and Alex Mack. Mack signed a five-year, $42 million offer sheet with the Jacksonville Jaguars which included $26 million in guaranteed money, the Browns matched the offer and retained Mack who became the leagues highest paid center. One restricted free agent switched teams in 2014, wide receiver Andrew Hawkins of the Bengals was signed by the Browns, restricted free agents are players with three or fewer seasons in the league whose contracts have expired. Teams may tender contract offers which allow them to match offers from other teams, Hawkins was tendered at the minimum level, which means the Bengals would not receive any draft compensation. The Browns signed him to a $13.6 million, four-year offer, Saints safety Rafael Bush signed an offer from the Falcons, but the Saints retained Bush by matching the offer. The 2014 NFL Draft was held May 8–10,2014, in New York City, the draft process began with the NFL Scouting Combine, where draft-eligible players were evaluated by team personnel, which was held in Indianapolis on February 19–25. The draft included a number of 98 non-seniors. In the draft the Houston Texans made University of South Carolina defensive end, there was discussion leading up to the draft as to the future of the event in New York City, where it had been held since 1965. Given the increased interest in the draft over the past decade, there was a belief that the event may have outgrown Radio City Music Hall, the possibility of extending the draft to four days was also being discussed. On October 2,2014, Auditorium Theatre in Chicago was announced as the site for the following years draft. Training camps for the 2014 season were held in late July through August, teams may start training camp no earlier than 15 days before the teams first scheduled preseason game. Prior to the start of the season, each team played four preseason exhibition games. The preseason schedule got underway with the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Sunday evening, the Hall of Fame game is a traditional part of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame induction weekend celebrating new Hall of Fame members. It was played at Fawcett Stadium which is located adjacent to the Hall of Fame building in Canton, the game, which was televised in the U. S. on NBC, featured the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills, with the Giants winning 17–13. The others who were inducted into the Hall of Fame are linebacker Derrick Brooks, punter Ray Guy, defensive end Claude Humphrey, offensive tackle Walter Jones, the 65-game preseason schedule wrapped up on Thursday, August 28, a week before the start of the regular season
21.
Denver Broncos
–
The Denver Broncos are an American football team based in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos compete in the National Football League as a club of the leagues American Football Conference West division. The team began play in 1960 as a member of the American Football League. The Broncos are owned by the Pat Bowlen trust, the Broncos have played at Sports Authority Field at Mile High since 2001, after previously playing at Mile High Stadium from 1960 to 2000. The Broncos were barely competitive during their 10-year run in the AFL and they did not complete a winning season until 1973. In 1977, four years later, they qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history, since 1975, the Broncos have become one of the NFLs more successful teams, having suffered only six losing seasons. However, the Broncos have the NFL record for most Super Bowl losses and they have five players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, John Elway, Floyd Little, Gary Zimmerman, Shannon Sharpe, and the most recently elected member, Terrell Davis. The Denver Broncos were founded on August 14,1959, when Minor League Baseball owner Bob Howsam was awarded an American Football League charter franchise, the Broncos won the first-ever AFL game over the Boston Patriots 13–10, on September 9,1960. On August 5,1967, they became the first-ever AFL team to defeat an NFL team, however, the Broncos were not successful in the 1960s, compiling a record of 39–97–4 in the league. Denver came close to losing its franchise in 1965, until an ownership group took control. The teams first superstar, Franchise Floyd Little, was instrumental in keeping the team in Denver, due to his signing in 1967 as well as his Pro Bowl efforts on, in 1972, the Broncos hired former Stanford University coach John Ralston as their head coach. In 1973, he was the UPIs AFC Coach of the Year, in five seasons with the Broncos, Ralston guided the team to winning seasons three times. Though Ralston finished the 1976 season with a 9–5 record, the team, as was the case in Ralstons previous winning seasons, following the season, several prominent players publicly voiced their discontent with Ralston, which soon led to his resignation. Dan Reeves became the youngest head coach in the NFL when he joined the Broncos in 1981 as vice president, quarterback John Elway, who played college football at Stanford, arrived in 1983 via a trade. Prior to Elway, the Broncos had over 24 different starting quarterbacks in its 23 seasons to that point, Reeves and Elway guided the Broncos to six post-season appearances, five AFC West divisional titles, three AFC championships and three Super Bowl appearances during their 12-year span together. Reeves was fired after the 1992 season and replaced by his protégé and friend Wade Phillips, Phillips was fired after a mediocre 1994 season, in which management felt he lost control of the team. In 1995, Mike Shanahan, who had served under Reeves as the Broncos offensive coordinator. Shanahan drafted rookie running back Terrell Davis, in 1996, the Broncos were the top seed in the AFC with a 13–3 record, dominating most of the teams that year
22.
Peyton Manning
–
Peyton Williams Manning is a former American football quarterback who played 18 seasons in the National Football League, primarily with the Indianapolis Colts. Considered to be one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Manning played college football for the University of Tennessee, leading the Tennessee Volunteers to the 1997 SEC Championship in his senior season. He is the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning. Manning was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, from 1998 to 2010, he improved the fortunes of the struggling Colts franchise and helped transform them into playoff contenders. After undergoing neck surgery forced him to miss the entire 2011 season, Manning was released by the Colts. Manning holds many NFL records, including passing yards, touchdown passes, AP MVP awards, Pro Bowl appearances, at 39 years of age, Manning is the oldest quarterback to start in and win a Super Bowl. Manning is also the quarterback in NFL history to make the Super Bowl four times with four different head coaches. Teams led by Manning typically utilized the offense in place of the standard huddle. Manning attended Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, Louisiana, and he was named Gatorade Circle of Champions National Player-of-the-Year and Columbus Touchdown Club National Offensive Player-of-the-Year in 1993. While at Newman he began wearing the number 18 in honor of his older brother Cooper, younger brother Eli also wore the number when he became starting quarterback. Newman has since retired the number 18 jersey and it can be hanging in the school gym. Manning chose to play football for the University of Tennessee Volunteers. Some were surprised that he did not pick the Ole Miss Rebels and he became Tennessees all-time leading passer with 11,201 yards and 89 touchdowns and won 39 of 45 games as a starter, breaking the Southeastern Conference record for career wins. As a freshman, Manning began the season as the third-string quarterback, in the season opener against UCLA, Manning was one of three quarterbacks to come off the bench after starter Jerry Colquitt suffered a season-ending injury on the seventh play of the game. However, Manning was not able to generate any offense and was pulled from the game, during the seasons fourth game, against Mississippi State, starter Todd Helton got injured and Manning took over. The Vols lost 24–21, but Manning was named the teams starter, in his first start, the following week against Washington State, the Vols won 10–9. They won all but one of their games, finishing the season 8–4 with a 45–23 victory over Virginia Tech in the 1994 Gator Bowl. Manning and the Vols started off the 1995 season with victories over East Carolina and Georgia, against Florida, he threw for 326 yards and 2 touchdowns, leading the Vols to a 30–21 halftime lead
23.
2015 NFL season
–
The 2015 NFL season was the 96th season in the history of the National Football League, and the 50th of the Super Bowl era. The Panthers became the first team since the 2011 Green Bay Packers to win all but one of their regular season games and not win the Super Bowl. During the 2015 season, the Oakland Raiders, the St. Louis Rams, NFL owners eventually only approved the relocation of the Rams, by a vote of 30–2 on January 12,2016. Thus,2015 ended up being the Rams last season in St. Louis, the 2015 NFL League Year began on Tuesday, March 10,2015 at 4,00 p. m. ET. m. ET and trading period for 2015 began, a total of 453 players were eligible for some form of free agency at the beginning of the free agency period. Four players were assigned the franchise tag by their teams. These players were wide receivers Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas, linebacker Justin Houston, the player given the transition tag was Charles Clay. On March 19,2015, Clay signed a five-year, $38M contract with the Buffalo Bills, an unusually large number of big name players switched teams via trade prior to the 2015 season. Eagles coach Chip Kelly used his newly obtained GM powers to make many blockbuster trades, the Philadelphia Eagles traded 2-time All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso. The Eagles also traded Pro Bowl quarterback Nick Foles along with their selection in the round of the 2016 NFL Draft to the St. The Saints also traded away Pro Bowl guard Ben Grubbs and wide receiver Kenny Stills, the Detroit Lions acquired All-Pro defensive tackle Haloti Ngata from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for draft picks to help make up for the loss of Ndamukong Suh in free agency. The 2015 NFL Draft was held April 30 – May 2,2015, the draft process began with the NFL Scouting Combine, where draft-eligible players were evaluated by team personnel, which was held in Indianapolis on February 17–23. On October 2,2014, Auditorium Theatre in Chicago was announced as the site of the draft. The previous fifty NFL drafts had been held in New York, in the draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made Florida State University quarterback Jameis Winston the first overall selection. Training camps for the 2015 season began July 22 and continued through the end of preseason, the normal training camp window ran from late July to late August or early September. Most of the camps had rookies report first, then veterans, at that point, some teams practiced versus another organization, like the Bills practiced against the Browns this year. Teams started training camp no earlier than fifteen days before the teams first scheduled preseason game, at that point, the rosters for each team were open to 90 players. Those rosters were cut to 75 by Week 3 of preseason, prior to the start of the regular season, each team played at least four exhibition games
24.
Houston Texans
–
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston, Texas. The team competes in the National Football League as a club of the American Football Conference South division. The Texans first played in 2002 as a team, making them the youngest franchise in the NFL currently. The Texans replaced Houstons previous franchise, the Houston Oilers, which moved to Nashville, the teams majority owner is Bob McNair. While the team struggled in the 2000s, they clinched its first playoff berth during the 2011 season as AFC South division champions. The Texans have gone on to win more AFC South championships in 2012,2015, to date, the Texans are the only NFL franchise to have never played in a conference championship game. In 1996, an earlier, the Cleveland Browns had controversially relocated to become the Baltimore Ravens. As part of the settlement between the NFL, the city of Cleveland, Ohio, and the owned by Art Modell. In order to out the franchisees at 32, the league also contemplated adding another expansion franchise. In association with Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, they would push for a domed stadium as part of the bid to lure the NFL back to Houston, on October 6,1999 the NFL awarded the 32nd team to Houston, at the cost of $700 million. The Houston Texans joined the league at the 2002 NFL season, while the team struggled in early seasons, results began to improve once native Houstonian Gary Kubiak became the head coach in 2006. The Texans finished with a.500 season in both 2007 and 2008, and nearly qualified for the 2009–10 NFL playoffs with a 9–7 result in 2009. In 2010, the team started the season on a 4–2 record going into a Week 7 bye week, the Texans then beat wild card Cincinnati Bengals 31–10 in the first round of the 2011–12 NFL playoffs, before a 20–13 defeat by the Ravens in the semifinals. The Texans surged as the team to beat in the AFC South in 2012, however, they lost three of their last four games to finish 12–4, beating the rival Indianapolis Colts in that four-game stretch allowed them to clinch their 2nd AFC South title. The Texans beat the Bengals again in the round. The Texans started 2–0 in 2013 but went into a tailspin, Kubiak was fired as head coach after being swept by the rival Jacksonville Jaguars, who themselves started 0–8. Wade Phillips filled in as coach, but the Texans poor form did not change. The 14-game losing streak is also the worst in franchise history, the Texans entered the 2014 season with a 14-game losing streak
25.
J. J. Watt
–
Justin James J. J. Watt is an American football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Texans with the 11th pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft, Watt received the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times in his first five seasons. Although primarily a defensive end, he shifts to defensive tackle in some situations. He has also taken snaps on offense, catching three passes during the 2014 season. In 2014, Watt became the first player in NFL history to record two 20+ sack seasons in a career and he holds the Texans franchise records for both sacks and forced fumbles. Watt was born on March 22,1989, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to parents Connie, a building operations vice-president, and John Watt, the Watt family has Scottish ancestry. One of Watts brothers, Derek Watt, is an NFL fullback for the San Diego Chargers and his younger brother, T. J. Watt, is a student and football player at the University of Wisconsin. Watt played hockey from age four to age 13 and played for teams that traveled to Canada. He gave up hockey when weekly games started to conflict with his schedule, Watt also played football throughout his childhood and became passionate about football while he was in fifth grade. Watt attended Pewaukee High School, where he was a four-year letter-winner in football and also lettered in basketball, baseball, during his senior year, he was selected for first-team All-State. He earned the Woodland Conference Player of the Year Award his senior year, and first-team All-State, All-County, All-Area and he was also named the teams MVP. During his senior year, Watt accumulated a total of 399 receiving yards,26 catches, Watt followed in his fathers footsteps and competed in the shot put during his senior season, earning first-team All-state selection. He captured the title in the shot put at the 2007 WIAA Division II Championship. Regarded as a recruit by both Rivals. com and Scout. com, Watt was ranked neither among the top tight end nor among the top defensive end prospects in his class. After official visits to Central Michigan, Colorado, and Minnesota, Watt received a scholarship offer from Central Michigan University and matriculated there. Watt has stated that he was led to believe that as a tight end, at Central Michigan, he played 14 games, compiling 77 receiving yards and 8 receptions. Watts coaches suggested that he move to tackle, but Watt decided to forgo his starting spot and scholarship to walk on at the University of Wisconsin. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Watt was redshirted for the 2008 season and was named Wisconsin’s Scout Team Player of the Year, in 2009, he played in 13 games as defensive end
26.
2016 NFL season
–
For the first time since the 2003 NFL season, neither of the previous seasons Super Bowl participants made the playoffs. The 2016 season was also the last season for the San Diego Chargers before their return to their city of Los Angeles for 2017. The 2016 NFL league year began on March 9,2016 at 4,00 p. m. ET, all 2015 players contracts expired and trading period for 2016 begin. A total of 496 players were eligible for some form of free agency at the beginning of the free agency period, in addition, a number of highly paid players were released after the start of the league year to allow their teams to regain space under the salary cap. On March 9, the Philadelphia Eagles traded cornerback Byron Maxwell, linebacker Kiko Alonso, on March 9, the Philadelphia Eagles traded running back DeMarco Murray along with a 2016 fourth-round draft pick to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for a 2016 fourth-round draft pick. On March 11, the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Mark Sanchez to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a conditional 2017 seventh-round draft pick. On March 15, the New England Patriots traded Pro Bowl defensive end Chandler Jones to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for guard Jonathan Cooper and a 2016 second-round draft pick. On March 16, the Chicago Bears traded tight end Martellus Bennett along with a 2016 sixth-round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for a 2016 fourth-round draft pick. On April 9, the Denver Broncos traded offensive tackle Ryan Clady, on August 16, the Tennessee Titans traded wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for G/T Dennis Kelly. On September 3, the Philadelphia Eagles traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings for a 2017 first-round draft pick, on October 31, the New England Patriots traded linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns for a conditional 2017 third-round draft pick. The 2016 NFL Draft was held between April 28 − April 30,2016 in Chicago, by way of a trade with the Tennessee Titans, the Los Angeles Rams held the first overall pick and selected QB Jared Goff. Oakland Raiders defensive back Charles Woodson announced he would retire from football at the end of the 2015 season on December 21,2015. He played eighteen seasons, starting with the Raiders for eight seasons and after spending seven with the Green Bay Packers, he returned to the Raiders for his final three seasons. He was the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the 2009 season and is tied with Rod Woodson, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch announced his retirement from professional football on February 7,2016. Lynch played nine seasons, four with the Buffalo Bills and the five with the Seahawks. Lynch was a five-time Pro Bowler, led the league in rushing touchdowns two seasons, co-led in total touchdowns one season, and won a title with the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII. Carolina Panthers defensive end Jared Allen announced his retirement from football on February 18,2016. Allen played twelve seasons, his first four with the Kansas City Chiefs, then six with the Minnesota Vikings, a five-time Pro Bowl and four-time All-Pro selection, Allen tallied 136 quarterback sacks during his career
27.
Carolina Panthers
–
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League, as a club of the leagues National Football Conference South division. The team president is Danny Morrison, and the coach is Ron Rivera. The Panthers were announced as the leagues 29th franchise in 1993 and they did not have another winning season until 2003, when they won the NFC Championship Game and reached Super Bowl XXXVIII, losing 32–29 to the New England Patriots. After recording playoff appearances in 2005 and 2008, the failed to record another playoff appearance until 2013. After losing in the round to the San Francisco 49ers in 2013 and the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, the Panthers finally returned to the Super Bowl in 2016. The Panthers have reached the playoffs seven times, advancing to four NFC Championship Games and they have won six division titles, one in the NFC West and five in the NFC South. The Carolina Panthers are legally registered as Panther Football, LLC, the team is headquartered in Bank of America Stadium in uptown Charlotte, also the teams home field. They are one of the few NFL teams to own the stadium they play in, the team hosts its annual training camp at Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina. On December 15,1987, entrepreneur Jerry Richardson announced his bid for an NFL expansion franchise in the Carolinas. Richardson drew his inspiration to pursue an NFL franchise from George Shinn, who had made a bid for an expansion National Basketball Association team in Charlotte. Richardson founded Richardson Sports, a partnership consisting of himself, his family, Richardson looked at four potential locations for a stadium, ultimately choosing uptown Charlotte. In choosing the name, the Richardsons did not run focus groups with potential fans. Their intention had always been the Panthers, Jerry Richardson began driving a car with the license plate PNTHRS near the end of 1989, to highlight the demand for professional football in the Carolinas, Richardson Sports held preseason games around the area from 1989 to 1991. The matchups were between existing NFL teams, in 1991, the group formally filed an application for the open expansion spot, and on October 26,1993, the 28 NFL owners unanimously named the Carolina Panthers as the 29th member of the NFL. The Panthers first competed in the 1995 NFL season, they were one of two teams to begin play that year, the other being the Jacksonville Jaguars. Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Dom Capers was named the first head coach, the team finished its inaugural season 7–9, the best performance ever from a first-year expansion team. They performed even better in their season, finishing with a 12–4 record and winning the NFC West division
28.
Cam Newton
–
Cameron Jerrell Newton is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He played college football at Auburn and was drafted as the first overall pick by the Panthers in the 2011 NFL Draft. Newton is the player in the modern era to be awarded the Heisman Trophy, win a national championship. He was the 2011 NFL Rookie of the Year, is a three-time Pro Bowler, in his rookie year, Newton broke all-time NFL rookie records for passing and rushing yards. He became the first NFL quarterback to throw for 400 yards in his first game and he also broke Otto Grahams 61-year-old record for passing yards by any quarterback in an NFL debut. Newton went on to become the first rookie quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in a season and he also ran for 14 touchdowns, more in a single season than any quarterback in NFL history, breaking Steve Grogans 35-year-old record. In 2015, Newton became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 30 touchdowns and he also became the only quarterback ever to have 300 yards passing,5 touchdown passes, and over 100 yards rushing in the same game. Newton capped off the 2015 season by capturing MVP honors and leading his Panthers to a 15–1 record, Newton attended Westlake High School in Atlanta, Georgia, where he played for the Westlake Lions high school football team. As a 16-year-old junior, he passed for 2,500 yards and 23 touchdowns and ran for 638 yards and 9 touchdowns, gaining the attention of major college programs. His senior year he was rated a five-star prospect by Rivals. com, the No.2 dual-threat quarterback in the nation, and he received scholarship offers from Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, and Virginia Tech. He committed to the University of Florida at the beginning of his senior year, Newton initially attended the University of Florida, where he was a member of the Florida Gators football team in 2007 and 2008. As a freshman in 2007, Newton beat out fellow freshman quarterback John Brantley as the back-up for eventual Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and he played in five games, passing for 40 yards on 5-of-10 and rushing 16 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns. In 2008, during his season, Newton played in the season opener against Hawaii but suffered an ankle injury. He was subsequently suspended from the team, campus police tracked the stolen laptop to the athlete. Newton tossed the computer out his dorm window in a humorously ill-advised attempt to hide it from cops. All charges against Newton were dropped after he completed a court-approved pre-trial diversion program, I believe that a person should not be thought of as a bad person because of some senseless mistake that they made, said Newton in 2010. I think every person should have a second chance, if they blow that second chance, so be it for them. Newton announced his intention to transfer from Florida three days before the Gators national championship win over Oklahoma, in November 2010, Thayer Evans of Fox Sports reported that Newton faced potential expulsion from the University of Florida for three instances of academic dishonesty, prior to transferring. In January 2009, Newton transferred to Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, to play for head coach Brad Franchione and that Fall, he led his team to the 2009 NJCAA National Football Championship, throwing for 2,833 yards with 22 touchdowns and rushing for 655 yards
29.
Marcell Dareus
–
Marcell Dareus, is an American football nose tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bills third overall in the 2011 NFL Draft and he played college football at Alabama, playing defensive end in the Crimson Tides 3-4 defense. He was named Defensive MVP of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, Dareus attended Huffman High School in Birmingham, Alabama, where he played football, basketball, and competed in track & field as a shot putter. In football, he was an ASWA All-State honorable mention at defensive lineman and he totaled 117 tackles and 20 sacks as a senior, and also returned a fumble for a touchdown. He was teammates with offensive lineman Andre Smith, Dareus was listed on the Atlanta Journal-Constitutions Super Southern 100, as well as the Mobile Press-Register Elite 18. Considered a four-star recruit by Scout. com, Dareus was listed as the No.5 defensive tackle in the nation in 2008 and he chose Alabama over offers from Auburn, Tennessee, North Carolina, among others. In his true freshman season at Alabama, Dareus played in eight games and he registered four tackles while recording three quarterback hurries. Dareus saw playing time at nose tackle in third-down-and-long situations, replacing the pure run-stuffing Terrence Cody, as a sophomore, Dareus was a big contributor all season at defensive end for Alabama. He played in 14 games and made four starts while serving as the Tides top pass rusher and he totaled 33 total tackles,9.0 tackles for loss, seven quarterback hurries, an interception and two pass breakups. He finished eighth in the Southeastern Conference and ranked tied for 90th nationally with 6.5 sacks or.46 per game, for his performance, including a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown, Dareus was named defensive MVP of the 2010 BCS National Championship Game. In early September, the NCAA suspended him for the first two games of the season in addition to requiring him to pay back the $1,787.17 received in impermissible benefits to the charity of his choice. After the university decided to not appeal the ruling, he made his 2010 debut against Duke in week three. For the season, he totaled 34 total tackles,11.0 tackles for loss,4.5 quarterback sacks, ten quarterback hurries, in the week following the Capital One Bowl victory, Dareus declared his eligibility for the 2011 NFL Draft on January 7. At the time of the announcement, he was projected as a first round pick, Dareus was selected with the 3rd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills on April 28,2011. He was the highest selected defensive lineman in Crimson Tide history, on April 29, the day after the first round, the Bills announced that Dareus would wear jersey number 99. On July 29,2011, Dareus signed a 4-year deal with the Bills worth $20.4 million, in 2011, Dareus became a member of School of the Legends, an official partner of the NFLPA. In 2012, Dareus was excused from the team after his brother was shot. He was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2013 as a replacement for Justin Smith of the 49ers
30.
Steve Smith Sr.
–
Stevonne Latrall Steve Smith Sr. is a former American football wide receiver who played sixteen seasons in the National Football League. He played college football at Utah, and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens and he played for the Panthers for 14 seasons before signing with the Ravens in March 2014, and is the Panthers all-time leader in total touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards. In 2011, he became the 35th player in NFL history to amass 10,000 receiving yards, in 2016, Smith became the 14th player in NFL history to amass 1,000 career receptions. At the time of his retirement, he ranked 7th on the NFLs all-time list in all-purpose yards, 7th in receiving yards, 12th in receptions, Smith attended University High School in Los Angeles, California, and was a letterman in football and track & field. In football, he played running back and defensive back, and was an All-Metro League selection as well as an All-California Interscholastic Federation selection, Smith graduated from University High School in 1997. In track & field, he set a handful of records, was named as an All-City selection as a high-hurdler. He had personal-bests of 14.95 seconds in the 110m hurdles and 38.73 seconds in the 300m hurdles, after graduating from high school, Smith attended Santa Monica College. While playing for the Santa Monica Corsairs football team, Smith quickly defined himself as a football player. During this time, Smith was teammates with future NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson and he also advised Smith and Johnson to not do touchdown celebrations and as Smith said, they put the cuffs on us. Smith took Taylors advice to heart, and excelled in his academics, while at the University of Utah, Smith set a record for yards per catch with a 20.6 average, and was chosen to play for the conferences all-star team twice. However, he missed their bowl game in his season due to injury. After the Blue-Gray All-Star game on December 25,2000, Smith began to receive attention from various NFL scouts and he and his wife have endowed an athletics scholarship at the University of Utah. The Carolina Panthers chose Smith in the round during the 2001 NFL Draft. In his first play as a professional, Smith returned the kickoff of the first game of the season for a touchdown. Smith also had 10 catches for 154 yards, and rushed 4 times for 43 yards, however, the team would finish 1-15, winning only their season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. During the 2002 NFL season, Smith earned a position as a wide receiver and continued as the teams kick returner. In 2002, Smith was involved in an altercation in a training camp dormitory with fellow receiver Guilian Gary, on November 10,2002, Smith was involved with an altercation with his teammate Anthony Bright during a film-room meeting
31.
Jameis Winston
–
Winston is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. Born and raised in Alabama, he was a highly regarded quarterback in high school, in his sophomore and final year, the Seminoles advanced to the Rose Bowl, part of the college football playoff. Winston also played on Florida States baseball team, Winston was drafted as the first overall pick by the Buccaneers in the 2015 NFL Draft. Winston was born in Bessemer, Alabama on January 6,1994 and he attended Hueytown High School, where he played both football and baseball. Winston was considered the best dual-threat quarterback recruit in the nation by Rivals. com, Winston was also named the MVP of the ESPN RISE Elite 11 quarterback camp. Additionally, Winston earned the Gatorade Player of the Year recognition for the state of Alabama and he led Hueytown to a state championship during his junior year. Winston committed to attend Florida State University on February 3,2012, the Texas Rangers selected Winston in the 15th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft out of high school. Though the Rangers proposed allowing him to play for the Florida State Seminoles football team while working out with their organization, Winston decided not to sign. Winston redshirted during the 2012 college football season behind senior quarterback EJ Manuel, prior to the 2013 season, Winston was named Florida States starting quarterback. In his college debut, he completed 25 of 27 passes with four passing touchdowns along with a touchdown against the University of Pittsburgh. Winston helped lead the team to an undefeated 13–0 regular season record and he became the second freshman to win the award, after Manziel won the previous year. He also became the youngest to win the award, at 19 years and 342 days, on January 6,2014, Winstons 20th birthday, Florida State defeated Auburn 34–31 in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game. Winston was named the Offensive MVP of the game passing for 235 yards with two touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin with 13 seconds left. Winston finished his season with 4,057 passing yards and 40 passing touchdowns, which set an ACC record. Winston started 13 games his sophomore season. He did not play in one game due to suspension, after a 13–0 regular season, the Seminoles were selected to play in the 2015 Rose Bowl, a semifinal game in the College Football Playoff, against Oregon. Oregon would win the game 59–20, giving Winston his only loss as a starter during his college career, Winston finished the season with 3,907 passing yards and 25 touchdowns. After the season, Winston entered the 2015 NFL Draft and he finished his career 26–1 as a starter and completed 562 of 851 passes for 7,964 yards,65 touchdowns and 28 interceptions
32.
Matt Ryan (American football)
–
Matthew Thomas Ryan, nicknamed Matty Ice, is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. After playing college football for Boston College, Ryan was drafted by the Falcons with the third pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Ryan was Boston Colleges starting quarterback from 2005 to 2007, leading them to three victories and a 25–7 record in 32 starts. He threw for 200 or more yards 15 times and is all time in school history in passing yards. He earned MVP of the honors at the 2005 MPC Computers Bowl. In 2007, Ryan led his team to an ACC Atlantic Division championship and was named ACC Player of the Year, during his rookie year, Ryan started all 16 games for the Falcons and led them to the playoffs with an 11–5 season record. He earned honors as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, in 2016, Ryan was the NFLs Most Valuable Player and led the Falcons to Super Bowl LI. Ryan, the third of four siblings, was born to Bernice and Michael Ryan, one of Ryans uncles, John Loughery, played quarterback at Boston College from 1979-82. Ryan attended the William Penn Charter School, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and he captured All-Southeastern Pennsylvania accolades as a senior quarterback in addition to receiving All-City first-team honors in 2002 and second-team recognition in 2001. Ryan played football, basketball and baseball while in school and was named captain of all three teams his senior year. He was quarterback of the team in 2002, played small forward on the basketball team, and was a pitcher. Ryan says he was recruited and began receiving scholarship offers as a sophomore. Some of the schools offered him an athletic scholarship were Purdue, Georgia Tech, Temple. After attending his recruiting visit with Boston College his junior year and his choices had come down to Iowa or Boston College. Ryan was looking for a university close to home and had a strong, Ryan began attending Boston College in 2003 and redshirted his first year with the team. Before the 2004 season, he was named the quarterback for Boston College due to an injury to Quinton Porter. He made his debut on October 2,2004 against the UMass Minutemen. He wouldnt complete his first touchdown until November 20,2004 against Temple, replacing the injured Paul Peterson, he completed nine of 15 passes for 121 yards
33.
2017 NFL season
–
The 2017 NFL season, the 98th season in the history of the National Football League, will begin on September 7,2017, with the defending Super Bowl LI champion, New England Patriots hosting a game. The season will conclude with Super Bowl LII, the championship game, on February 4,2018. For the second year, a team relocated to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The 2017 NFL League year began on March 9 at 4,00 p. m. EST. On March 7, clubs were allowed to contact and enter into negotiations with the agents of players who became unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their contracts two days later. The 2017 trading period also began the same day, a total of 496 players became free agents on March 9. On March 9, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded tight end Julius Thomas to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2017 seventh-round draft pick, on March 9, the Miami Dolphins traded offensive tackle Branden Albert to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2018 seventh-round draft pick. On March 9, the Indianapolis Colts traded tight end Dwayne Allen, on March 9, the Los Angeles Rams traded defensive end William Hayes along with a 2017 seventh-round draft pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a 2017 sixth-round draft pick. On March 10, the New Orleans Saints traded wide receiver Brandin Cooks, the 2017 NFL Draft will be held on April 27–29,2017 in Philadelphia. The first overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft belongs to the Cleveland Browns, training camps for the 2017 season will be held in late July through August. Teams will start training camp no earlier than 15 days before the teams first scheduled preseason game, prior to the start of the regular season, each team will play four preseason exhibition games, beginning on August 10. The preseason will begin on the evening of August 3 with the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game and it will be televised nationally on NBC. The 65-game preseason schedule will end on August 31, the 2017 regular seasons 256 games will be played over a seventeen-week schedule which will begin on September 7. Each of the leagues 32 teams plays a 16-game schedule, with one bye week for each team, the slate also features games on Monday nights. There are games played on Thursday, including the National Football League Kickoff game in time on September 7. The regular season will conclude with a slate of 16 games on Sunday, December 31, all of which will be intra–division matchups. Scheduling formula Under the NFLs current scheduling formula, each plays the other three teams in its own division twice. In addition a team plays against four teams in one division from each conference
.jpg)
